Railway car truck side frame



Feb l, 1949- G. T. JOHNSON RAILWAY CAR TRUCK SIDE FRAME Filed Nov. 27. 1944 Patented Feb. l, 1949 RAILWAY CAR TRUCK SIDE FRAME George T. Johnson, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Buckeye Steel Castings Company, Columbus, lOhio Application November 27, 1944, Serial No. 565,241

3 Claims. (Cl. 105-205) This invention relates to improvements in railway car truck side frames and more particularly to trucks of the type employing snubbers on the bolster guide columns.

Recent developments in the design of freight car trucks for easy riding and safe operation in l high speed service have shown a marked trend towards the use of long travel springs and the provision ofv damping means associated with the group of bolster supporting springs to provide control of spring oscillations at critical speeds. considerably more space is required for long travel than for short travel springs and the application of long travel springs together with a damping device to the commonly used four-wheel truck with a truss type side frame is unusually dicult because of space limitations determined by rail and body clearances, clearances with standard parts, such as brake beams, etc.

There is a minimum height of side frame above the rail, below which a frame cannot be designed and still be acceptable for interchange service. 'There is also a maximum height of top member of the side frame above the rail, which cannot be exceeded without causing interference between the spring supported body construction above the side frame and the unsprung top member of the side frame. This maximum height of the top member reduces with an increase in spring travel. Therefore, in applying long travel springs to a standard truss type side frame, the designer nds himselfl -confronted with the problem of applying springs longer than usual in a space shorter than usual and still providing adequate strength in the top and bottom members of the side frame and the bolster end, as well as providing certain vertical clearances for application of parts and shimming.

Furthermore, it is usually desirable to make the outside diameter of long travel springs greater than that of equivalent shorter travel springs. This requires more space horizontally for the spring arrangement, and the application of a damping device associated with the spring arrangement usually requires still more space for the arrangement. Horizontally the space is limited inwardly of the side frame by standard brake beam construction and outwardly of the side frame by the standard clearance outline.

An object of the invention is to provide a railway car truck having truss type side frames so designed as to accommodate damping devices and long travel springs.

With the foregoing object outlined and with other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in longitudinally vertical section, of a fragment of a car truck provided with one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, and partially in elevation.

Referring to the drawing, 6 designates a truss type side frame comprising a compression member 'i and a tension member 8 which are joined together intermediate the ends of the frame by bolster guide columns 9, and which converge at the ends of the frame and merge with journal boxes IIl, only one of which is illustrated. In accordance with the invention, the medial portion II of the compression member is horizontally disposed and relatively shallow in depth; it being about twice as wide as deep.

The columns 9' are preferably of channel section with the channels facing away from one y another, and the lower end portions of the webs 6I of the columns merge with the top web tt of the tension member.

'Ihe longitudinal medial portion It of the tension member is horizontally disposed and of shallow box section (Fig. 2), this portion being at least twice as wide as deep, and the top thereof forming a horizontal spring seat 42 which is provided with lateral extensions I5, each of a width substantially equal to the width of the medial portion of the tension member. Such extensions form shelves, reinforced by vertical ribs |61: merging with the sides of the tension member and the bottoms of the shelves. Upstanding anges or walls I6 are provided at the outer edge portions of the shelves and the upper edge of each wall is of concave shape. having its lower portion I'l intermediate the ends of the wall. From the lowest portion the edge of the walls gradually rise, as indicated at I8 and merge at their ends with the columns 9. The low portions of the walls facilitate the introduction of long travel springs I9 and IBa into the bolster opening 20 and on to the spring seat 2|. The springs are in a group and consist of an arrangement of main load carrying coils I9 and damping coils I9a, the upper ends of the latter bearing against friction wedge shoes 22 which cooperate with downwardly converging side walls 23 of a bolster 24, and vertical wear plates 25 secured to the transverse vertical Webs 4l of the columns 9. Obviously. such a com struction will produce frictional damping forces in proportion to the spring deilection. The truck may be arranged for quick` wheel change by providing openings or notches 29 between the upper ends of the webs 4l of the columns and the medial vportion Ii of the compression member to allow I for the passage of the outboard top lugs l0 of the bolster. As is usual, the lugs embrace the guide columns, and as the notches are of greater vertical height than the height of the outboard lugs, it will be obvious that these'lugs may pass through the'notches when the b'olster is lifted to the proper height.

As shown-in Fig. 1. 'the inclined portions of the tension member may be of inverted U-shape in` cross section from each journalbox down toward the lower end portions of the columns.

The top web or plate 40 ofthe inclined portions of the tension member, terminates at the transverse webs or walls 4I of the columns, each of which is vertical for its entire length. The spring seat portion 42 passes under the columns and then has its ends .diverging upwardly to correspond with the'inclination of the inclined portions of the tension member. It terminates beyond the columnsat 43, sothat beyond this point the inclined portionslof the tension member are of inverted U section. l 'I'he box section portion 44 of the horizontal part of the tension member is formed below the spring seat and joins'inclined portions just beyond the columns, and forms ogee curves 45 at the lower ends of the columns.

With reference to the term long travel springs used in the claims, it will be noted that a long travel spring is one designed to permit more deilection, or compression, than can be obtained in a short travel spring, from the free or unloaded condition to the solid condition, where each coil is in contact with each adjacent coil. StandardA changes' maybe made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters 4 Patent is:

1. A railway car truck truss type side frame fseat. said spring seat rections beneath the column webs, diverging upon .long travel springs.` A

extending in opposite diwardly toward the ends of the side frame and terminating between the columns and the ends of the side frame, the bottom of the medial portion o! the compression member being spaced a sufiicient `distance above the spring seat toaccommodate upward and downward movement of a.

bolster end resting on long travel springs.

V2. In a railway car truck truss type side frame. a'compression member, a tension member including two portions having inverted U-shaped cross sections, a spring seat of box section, spaced bolster guide columns connecting the tension and compression'members, each column having a web with a substantially vertical lower portion merging with a. top wall of thespring seat, the upper webs of the tension members merging with the column webs above said spring seat, said spring seat extending in opposite directions beneath the upper webs of the tension members beyond said columnwebs, means connecting a lower wall of the box section tosaid extensions, and the medial portion of the compression member being spaced above the spring seat to accommodate Aupward and downward movement of a bolster end resting 3. In a railway car truck' truss type side frame. a `compression member, a tension member provided intermediate its ends with a spring seat, spaced bolster guide columns connecting the tension and compression members, each bolster guide column having a central web substantially vertical in the lower portion thereof merging with said spring seat, said tension member having a web at the top thereof inclined downwardly from end portions of the side frame and merging with said vertical portions of the bolster guide column webs above said spring seat, said spring seat extending including a tension member provided interme- .diate its ends with'a spring seat, a compression member, and spaced'bolster guide columns connecting the tension and compression members, each. column having a web with a substantially vertical lower portion merging with the spring f in opposite directions beneath the bolster guide column webs and diverging upwardly toward the ends of the side frame, lateral extensions on said spring seat, an upstanding ange carried by an -outboard edge of one extension, an upstanding ilange carried by an inboard edge of the other extension, and the top edges of said flanges extending upwardly from a central portion of the spring seat with the ends of the anges merging s with said bolster guide columns,

GEORGE T. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent: o

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number- Name Date 2,053,989 Goodwin Sept. 8, 1936 2,129,408 Davidsonl Sept. 6, 1938 2,169,715 Webb Aug. 15, 1939 2,295,550 Cottrell Sept. 15, 1942 2,352,693 Davidson July 4, 1944 

